Myra Nissen, CHom, RSHom(NA)

Are There Side Effects with Homeopathic Remedies?

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Sunday, August 29, 2010

I am often asked if homeopathic remedies cause side effects. I would like to address that question here.

Unlike traditional western medicines Homeopathy has no side effects. A
side effect is a secondary and usually adverse effect of a drug or
therapy and is not to be confused with phenomenons that may occur while
under homeopathic care: proving symptoms, aggravations, or return of
old symptoms.

PROVING SYMPTOMS
Proving symptoms sometimes happen when a person taking a remedy
develops symptoms characteristic to the remedy but not symptoms that
they have ever experienced. Proving symptoms are usually short-lived.

Proving symptoms are symptoms that have been identified in
homeopathic provings of remedies. A "proving," or "proofing," is a drug
trial or a systematic way to test a remedy and to discover a its healing
properties. Remedy proving is a technique that was developed by Samuel
Hahnemann, founder of homeopathy. A group of healthy individuals take a
single remedy repeatedly until they start to experience symptoms that
are not their own. The symptoms are carefully documented and compiled
into the catalog of remedies used by homeopaths, referred to as the Homeopathic
Materia Medica.

AGGRAVATIONS
Aggravations are a worsening of the symptom/s the person taking the
remedy already has. Aggravations are also usually short-lived and result
in a healing response. The aggravation will soon pass and the person
will soon get well.

RETURN OF OLD SYMPTOMS
Sometimes on the path to wellness a person may experience a symptom they
have had in the past but have not had recently. These too are usually
short lived and result in a healing response of the person who is taking
the remedy.

Your homeopath is the best person to unravel the experience you have while taking homeopathic remedies.